Max Verstappen has no problem with FIA’s clampdown on blocking

Max Verstappen has shrugged off the FIA’s clampdown on defensive blocking under braking, which was introduced in the light of controversial moves by the Dutchman this season.

The Red Bull driver said he accepted the clarification issues by Charlie Whiting.

“To be honest it is like it is, isn’t it?” said Verstappen. “They set up a rule, so everybody has to follow the rule.

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“I think it's good to make it more clear to everyone what's allowed, and what's not. So let's see how it's going to turn out.

“If that's the right approach, I don't know, but at the end of the day it's the same for everyone so we'll have to deal with it. I think it makes it also more interesting, F1, instead of just getting by on DRS or just driving by in an easy overtake. Probably it will lead to more passes. If it's positive passing I don't know, that's what we'll have to ask the fans at one point.”

Verstappen said it was “funny” to have to listen to criticism from other drivers in meetings.

“It’s funny, yeah it is, just listening to it. At the end I mean everybody can have his own opinion, and that’s it. I did same some things, but in the end it doesn’t really make a lot of difference, does it? For sure I speak for myself, what I think is right, and that’s what I did.”

He said the change was not a surprise: “If so many people are complaining it's not a surprise, let's say it like that,”

Asked how hard it would be to make a split-second decision not to move in a race situation he said: “To be honest I haven't really thought about it yet, what I should do, or what I would do. I'm just gonna race, and then we'll see how it's going to be with overtaking, and how people are defending.

“In the heat of the moment you’re always trying to defend your position. So far it said in the rules that you could go to inside under braking, now it’s not, so let’s see how that’s going to affect the race.”